Noxubee County Residents React To The State Takeover

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The state takeover leaves a lot of mixed feelings and questions across Noxubee County.

We learned on Thursday, those questions will be answered at a community meeting the Mississippi Department of Education plans on holding.

WCBI was told the Mississippi Department of Education plans on having that meeting next Tuesday at the Noxubee County High School Gym starting between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m.

Montrell Rucker is a product of the Noxubee County School District.

He says it’s heartbreaking to see where the district has ended up, but says the proof is in the pudding.

“I trust the findings of the Mississippi Department of Education. These are professionals and they are trained to do this job and I trust their report and the report is in black and white, you can’t argue with the facts.”

And doing what’s best for the students and making teaching a number one priority are other facts, Rucker says you can’t argue with.

“Now that the state is involved, our children will get textbooks, all the materials that they need, and we won’t be lacking for anything. So now, that’s where the parents in the home, we have to play our part to make sure that we take advantage of every opportunity like never before and I believe if we do that, then I believe that the best is yet to come.”

He believes the state takeover will put the district back on the right track.

“One thing this does, is this takes a lot of the politics out of the school system to not just put people in place based upon whether or not you like this individual, but if this person is qualified to be there and that’s what it should, what it’s all about now, is preparing our children.”

The Noxubee County native believes it’s time for the community to come together and support the new superintendent and his strategies.

He believes in order to do that, everyone has to play their part, from the teachers, to the parents and everyone in between.

“I pray and I thank God that help has finally arrived and we need to embrace the vision that is put before us and let’s move Noxubee County up to the level where she can be.”

The Mississippi Department of Education plans on discussing frequently asked questions about state takeovers in the upcoming community meeting.